I'm willing to bet Gafford and Daedae will be starting by SEC play. Khalil and Drio will definitely be in the rotation. If not, then we are going to be in for a long season

For me the question is whether a couple or more of the young 6' 5''+ guys will be forces on the wing at both ends. If that happens, there are enough options everywhere else to work things out on O and D. There is usually a bias to overestimate the new guys and underestimate the returning players because the flaws of the returning players have been on display for a year or more, whereas the frosh have never missed a shot or committed a TO.

For me the question is whether a couple or more of the young 6' 5''+ guys will be forces on the wing at both ends. If that happens, there are enough options everywhere else to work things out on O and D. There is usually a bias to overestimate the new guys and underestimate the returning players because the flaws of the returning players have been on display for a year or more, whereas the frosh have never missed a shot or committed a TO.

Very true. Hopefully CJ has caught on to everything so that he can give us quality minutes.

We really need Cook or Thomas to step up. Or Trey Thompson to provide some more scoring punch down low.

Thompson has unrealized potential in scoring. He finishes efficiently at the rim, is decent at the line, and actually had one of the higher 2-pt jumper FG percentages on the team last year, granted on only 21 attempts. He's not unskilled, but he only took 55 attempts total last season. That number should at least double and could even quadruple this season. He and Kingsley combined for 14.4 points per game last season. If he and Gafford can drop 7+ points apiece combined with Thompson's contributions as a passer, that should be enough O out of the post if our new wings can replace Hannahs' buckets.

Have seen Beard around town a couple of times this summer and he looks like an entirely different person. He no longer has that weight that hindered his quickness the last couple of years.. no way he's 198.

Something to keep in mind with Beard is that he's a sturdy guy. He might carry 200 lbs better than most.

I get what you're saying no doubt, but I'm telling you he's completely transformed his body this offseason. You just have to see him to understand. I'm excited for him.. heard he's dunking in pickup the summer.

I get what you're saying no doubt, but I'm telling you he's completely transformed his body this offseason. You just have to see him to understand. I'm excited for him.. heard he's dunking in pickup the summer.

I hope you are right. IMO he needs to weigh under 190 lbs and improve his first step of getting by his man and creating problems for the defense. Also a mid range jump shot wouldn't hurt either.

I wouldn't go that far but I do think he could turn out to be like Anthlon Bell

I'll be ecstatic with any Hog that shoots like Bell did as a senior. However, Jones is a legit 6' 5'' with hops. He's a far better athlete than Bell. As Jones gets stronger, he should have a lot of potential at scoring at the rim and could be a quality finisher on the break immediately. He also has more upside as a two-way player, though nobody has raved about his D to this point.

No one has raved about his D because according to CMA, his poor D is why he was supplanted on the bench. His O has never been a question and if he finally "gets it" in the D scheme we will see more of him on the floor.

I agree. If he puts it together on the D, then he should have no problem getting on the floor and getting quality minutes...

I'll be ecstatic with any Hog that shoots like Bell did as a senior. However, Jones is a legit 6' 5'' with hops. He's a far better athlete than Bell. As Jones gets stronger, he should have a lot of potential at scoring at the rim and could be a quality finisher on the break immediately. He also has more upside as a two-way player, though nobody has raved about his D to this point.

I agree. I said Anthlon only because he said Steph in comparison to his deep ball ability.

By the way, Gafford has really put in work on his body over the summer. He showed me some before and after pics today and he looks solid. He went from 217 to around 230 right now. Not to mention he has added a couple of inches to his vertical. Kid is going to be a beast.

By the way, Gafford has really put in work on his body over the summer. He showed me some before and after pics today and he looks solid. He went from 217 to around 230 right now. Not to mention he has added a couple of inches to his vertical. Kid is going to be a beast.

Anderson better be recruiting behind him. He may not be around beyond his sophomore season.

Anderson better be recruiting behind him. He may not be around beyond his sophomore season.

5 years ago I would have agreed with you but in the past 2 years the NBA is starting to push guys who are only 5s down the draft boards. So hopefully that will lead to Gafford staying 2 years so he can put in more work on his jump shot.

I continue to hear good things about the freshmen, all 4 of them. There's a learning curve, though, and the Hogs will be playing their toughest OOC in years. There will be growing pains, but this has a chance to be a nasty defensive group midway through SEC play. Go back to the 27- and 26-win teams in the past 3 years, and they played their best basketball in the final 1/3rd of the season. Barford and Macon are fringe All SEC types, and for some reason I envision Beard having a strong senior season. If guys like Thompson, Thomas, Cook, Bailey, and Jones all come back better, this will be a very dangerous team in March.

I continue to hear good things about the freshmen, all 4 of them. There's a learning curve, though, and the Hogs will be playing their toughest OOC in years. There will be growing pains, but this has a chance to be a nasty defensive group midway through SEC play. Go back to the 27- and 26-win teams in the past 3 years, and they played their best basketball in the final 1/3rd of the season. Barford and Macon are fringe All SEC types, and for some reason I envision Beard having a strong senior season. If guys like Thompson, Thomas, Cook, Bailey, and Jones all come back better, this will be a very dangerous team in March.

I continue to hear good things about the freshmen, all 4 of them. There's a learning curve, though, and the Hogs will be playing their toughest OOC in years. There will be growing pains, but this has a chance to be a nasty defensive group midway through SEC play. Go back to the 27- and 26-win teams in the past 3 years, and they played their best basketball in the final 1/3rd of the season. Barford and Macon are fringe All SEC types, and for some reason I envision Beard having a strong senior season. If guys like Thompson, Thomas, Cook, Bailey, and Jones all come back better, this will be a very dangerous team in March.

I'm really excited about this mixture of returning players and newcomers. I think the returning players should be very good and we shouldn't have to rely on the new players as much as we have in the past. That being said, there are some very talented kids coming in that will push the guys that are already there. This should be a very fun team to watch.